


Defensive

by ancientmagnolia



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Minor Injuries, that good good dad shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 23:29:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13351770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ancientmagnolia/pseuds/ancientmagnolia
Summary: The Snatcher senses a certain chilling change in his forest and goes to investigate.





	Defensive

There was something wrong. Well, there was _always_ something wrong in Subcon Forest. At least by an outsider’s standards. No, there was something wrong to _him_ of all people. The most wrong-doing spirit in this whole forest. Well.. save for one. Speaking of _her_ , he sensed her. He always did, like a little buzzing in his mind, always a chill in a little corner of himself. But this chill wasn’t just that, it felt like a blizzard was just on the horizon. Ready to blow in any minute now.

Focusing on the frozen aura, he cautiously floats towards it. Not too cautiously, mind you. There was a sense of urgency in his movements. The storm will blow soon.

He was headed towards the center of Subcon Village, making a mental note of the missing denizens. In any other circumstance, he’d be planning punishment for each one of them. But he is currently distracted, and their absence is understood. Honestly, he wished he could just hide from everything. But _no_ , he has to be _responsible_ and _take care of_ **_his_** _forest_. This is _his_ forest! Not some awful, no-good heartless—

His rant is cut short by a familiar screech, that kid! (In all honesty, it’s a little depressing that he knows that scream so well.) He rushes towards the sound, his soul feeling colder and colder as he nears closer. It’s almost too much to bear before he takes in the scene ahead of him.

That—that _thing_ was holding her— she looked so scared — and holding her upward by her throat, with her arm slowly turning to ice, soon to make contact with the child’s skin.

In a surge of bravery, he looms over Vanessa, eyes and furious snarl glowing bright. _“Let go of my **kid**!”_

With a swift reach downward — he isn’t called the Snatcher for nothing — he grabs the kid’s arm and pulls her towards him, clawing at Vanessa with his other shadowy hand.

Almost as if it was a game of tug of war — which frustrated him immensely, this isn’t some _game_ , Vanessa — they pull back and forth before he’s able to twist the queen’s icy grip from the kid’s neck. He could easily see the bruises start to appear, which angered him even more. He swoops backwards, clutching onto her with both hands now.

He glares towards Vanessa, his eyes becoming tiny points of light, as if he was daring her to just try and fight back. The woman stares for a while, obviously seething in anger if he can guess from the aura she was giving off. And she dissipates into black smoke, vanishing back to her manor.

With a sigh of relief, he floats back to the ground and sets the kid next to a tree.

She slumps over slightly, bringing her hand — the one he wasn’t tugging on. Whoops — up to rub at her neck, which was already starting to have a purple ring form around it. His tail flickers anxiously from side to side, watching the spot Vanessa had been for any signs of her return.

As the ice inside of him started to dissipate, he’s set to ease. He doesn’t feel her nearby anymore, she’s still here of course, but, not near. He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, forces himself to put on his signature smile, and faces the child. She was grinning up at him, the smile swirling up a spark of adventure. Of reckless exploring, and a child’s innocence. Well, that part of her aura has become more and more dim since they first met. But it has been replaced by a sense of experience since then.

“What?”

She huffs for a moment, obviously catching her breaths, “You.. you called me your kid.”

He stares blankly at her, expression unchanging. “I... what?”

“You said ‘my kid!’ W-When you saved me, you said ‘Get away from my kid.’ I heard you.”

He chuckles awkwardly, unlike his usual booming laughter. “You.. you’ve got to be kidding me. You must’ve been hearing things... Getting damn near choked to death can do things to you.”

Hat Kid shrugs and starts to attempt to stand up before slumping back down again.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he says as he swiftly moves towards her. “Chill out — _ugh_ , not the best wording — for a second.”

She sticks her tongue out at him, “Or what, you’re gonna ground me, _Dad_?”

He makes a sound of disgust as he mutters, “I didn’t call you my kid!”

“Whatever you say, _Pops_!”

He growls in annoyance, “You’re the worst daughter ever.”

She beams, pointing up at him, “See! You just sai—“

” _Nothing_! I said _nothing_!” He grins slightly at the antics. “See, you’re hearing things again!”

Now it’s her turn to be frustrated, with puffed cheeks, “You’re the worst dad ever!”

He’s full-out grinning now. As much as he loved messing with the kid in dangerous situations... he thinks he prefers dad jokes now instead. “What!? Dad? I’m not a dad!”

Well, if he wasn’t before, he surely seems like one now.


End file.
